'Frozen' Sets South Korean Box-Office Record for Animated Film

The Disney hit crossed the 6 million admissions mark during the Lunar New Year holiday and has grossed $44.17 million in the country so far.

SEOUL – Frozen has became the highest-grossing animated feature ever in South Korea over the weekend, while also selling the most tickets during the country's long Lunar New Year break from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2. According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the Disney film has grossed $44.17 million (47.7 billion won) in South Korea, passing prior record holder Kung Fu Panda 2, which pulled in $41 million (44.3 billion won) in 2011.

Frozen, about two estranged sister princesses trying to break a wintry spell that freezes their kingdom, has so far drawn more than 6 million admissions in South Korea as of Monday. It reached the box-office milestone in just 18 days, after taking only 17 days since opening on Jan. 16 to reach 5 million admissions. The film is expected to easily break 7 million admissions in the days ahead.

South Korea's film offices often use admissions as their primary measure.

The Frozen soundtrack is also reportedly selling well, according to local music charts.

Meanwhile, Frozen was followed by the local comedy Miss Granny. The film about an old lady who suddenly finds her youth restored is also selling tickets at a fast rate, garnering close to 4 million admissions after only 12 days in theaters.

Other top-ranking films were homegrown: the melodrama Man in Love in third place, followed by the Korea-Canada co-production The Nut Job, and the retro teen romance Hot Young Bloods.

The Attorney, which became one of the rare Korean movies to break 10 million admissions, came in sixth. With more than 11 million admissions and counting, it is now the eighth-highest-grossing local film in Korean box-office history.